logo
RIMOWA teams up with Swiss furniture designers Vitra for a limited edition collaboration featuring a stool and a toolbox

RIMOWA teams up with Swiss furniture designers Vitra for a limited edition collaboration featuring a stool and a toolbox

Nylon13-06-2025
With mobility and multi-functionality as a daily source of inspiration for RIMOWA and Swiss furniture designers Vitra, the two have come together in a collaboration that provides pieces that can seamlessly integrate into a diverse array of environments.
Image courtesy of RIMOWA.
The collaboration features two limited edition products — the Aluminium Stool and the Aluminium Toolbox.
Image courtesy of RIMOWA.
Image courtesy of RIMOWA.
Image courtesy of RIMOWA.
Image courtesy of RIMOWA.
Jointly developed, the Aluminium Stool is a mobile cube made from RIMOWA's iconic grooved aluminium and equipped with the Maison's Multiwheel system. This seat opens to reveal an interior that has been upholstered with Vitra fabric, offering storage space for all your essentials.
A removable leather divider has also been included to ensure optimal organisation, while the lid's detachable seat cushion provides comfort.
Image courtesy of RIMOWA.
Image courtesy of RIMOWA.
Inspired by the recycled plastic Vitra Toolbox designed by Arik Levy in 2010, the new Aluminium Toolbox is now reimagined with RIMOWA's signature anodised aluminium casing with recycled fabric lining the interior compartments.
Both products are jointly manufactured at RIMOWA and Vitra's respective factories with RIMOWA's aluminium components produced at their headquarters in Cologne and Vitra's upholstered textile elements made at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein.
The Aluminium stool is limited to 1,000 pieces and will be available online at vitra.com and RIMOWA.com starting at 12.15am on 19 June. It will also be available at select RIMOWA flagship stores worldwide.
The Aluminium Toolbox is limited to 100 pieces and will be available exclusively in Europe via RIMOWA.com and worldwide from vitra.com.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Switzerland facing 39% US tariff as president leaves Washington empty-handed, World News
Switzerland facing 39% US tariff as president leaves Washington empty-handed, World News

AsiaOne

time8 hours ago

  • AsiaOne

Switzerland facing 39% US tariff as president leaves Washington empty-handed, World News

WASHINGTON/ZURICH — Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter left Washington empty-handed on Wednesday (Aug 6) after a hastily arranged trip to avert a crippling 39 per cent tariff on the country's exports to the United States, its biggest market, three sources familiar with the matter said. Keller-Sutter said she had a "very good meeting" with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but one of the sources said she did not meet with US President Donald Trump or any of his top trade officials. The Swiss president had been seeking a tariff rate of 10 per cent, which US officials rejected, the source said, adding that most countries are facing much higher tariff rates and reducing the US trade deficit remained Trump's goal. Washington is potentially seeking more energy and defence exports to Switzerland, according to a Swiss source familiar with the discussions. In return, the Swiss are looking for lower duties on goods sold into the US, a leading buyer of Swiss watches, machinery and chocolate. Trump announced a tariff rate of 31 per cent for Switzerland in April as part of a broad push to reorder global trade, but increased the threatened tariff to 39 per cent last week. "We had a very good meeting today. We had a very friendly and open exchange," Keller-Sutter told reporters after the meeting at the State Department in Washington. She did not answer a question about what further offers Switzerland would make. The higher tariff is due to take effect on Thursday. On social media, Keller-Sutter later wrote that she and Rubio had discussed bilateral co-operation, the tariff situation and international issues. The Swiss delegation was preparing to leave Washington without a deal on Wednesday, a source close to the Swiss delegation said, with the country's cabinet due to hold a meeting on Thursday or Friday. "We came over with the intention of presenting new ideas to the American administration to resolve the tariffs matter, which we have done," the source said. "We are ready for negotiations to continue." Switzerland was stunned by Trump's decision last week to apply the steep rate — among the highest announced since he launched his global trade reset — which threatens to inflict major damage on its export-orientated economy. Keller-Sutter and Business Minister Guy Parmelin flew to Washington on Tuesday for last-minute negotiations aimed at reducing the tariffs before they go into effect on Thursday. [[nid:720837]] Additional talks are possible, even after the higher rate takes effect, the first source said. Parmelin had already raised the possibility of Switzerland buying US liquefied natural gas to help secure a better deal. Under a deal the EU struck with Washington last month to secure a 15 per cent tariff rate, Brussels agreed to buy US$750 billion (S$963 billion) worth of LNG, oil, and nuclear energy products over the next three years. While the EU made no formal pledge to buy more US arms, it did indicate to US negotiators that US suppliers would benefit from an increase in defence spending in line with higher Nato commitments agreed under pressure from Trump. Both concessions, along with a pledge to invest more in the US, were seen as important in clinching a deal, said a person familiar with the US-EU negotiations. Switzerland already purchases some military hardware from the US and has placed a 6-billion-franc (S$9.56-billion) order to buy Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter jets. While the Swiss government is focused on sweetening its offer to Washington and says it is not planning countermeasures against the US tariffs, some Swiss politicians have called for the F-35 deal to be scrapped over the trade dispute. Looming economic hit Earlier on Wednesday, Keller-Sutter and her team met with Swiss business leaders including Roche Chairman Severin Schwan as well as Alfred Gantner and Marcel Erni, founders of Swiss private equity firm Partners Group. [[nid:720841]] The group, which also included Daniel Jaeggi, president of global energy and commodity firm Mercuria, spoke about the tariffs situation, the government said, without giving further details. Further meetings are planned with executives from other Swiss companies present in the United States. Business associations warn that tens of thousands of Swiss jobs are at risk if the 39 per cent tariffs are implemented. Swiss cheese producers, for example, are bracing for a steep drop in sales in the United States, which bought 11 per cent of cheese exports like Gruyere and Emmentaler last year. "The taxes are enormous," said Anthony Margot, a fifth-generation cheese maturer. "We can't replace a market like the United States overnight." The blue chip Swiss Market Index was down one per cent in early afternoon trading on Wednesday. Following talks with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Switzerland had agreed a draft statement with the United States in early July that was reported to include a 10 per cent tariff rate. Trump's U-turn on Friday, however, followed what some US officials said was a fraught telephone call with Keller-Sutter. Swiss sources said the call was not a success, but denied there was a falling out between the two leaders. Keller-Sutter did not meet with Greer, Bessent or Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during her visit this week, the first source told Reuters. [[nid:720836]]

China's property slump to last longer than expected: UBS
China's property slump to last longer than expected: UBS

Business Times

time10 hours ago

  • Business Times

China's property slump to last longer than expected: UBS

[HONG KONG] UBS Group, which had been among the few firms predicting a recovery in China's property sector, now expects a delay following a renewed sales slowdown in the second quarter. John Lam, head of China and Hong Kong property research at the Swiss bank, said in March that home prices in top-tier cities would 'turn stable' by early 2026. He now anticipates that to happen in mid-to-late 2026, unless Beijing introduces additional stimulus measures. 'The sales momentum has become tepid in recent months,' Lam said. 'If that continues, a recovery will occur later than expected.' Lam is known for downgrading China Evergrande Group at the start of 2021, 11 months before the nation's most indebted developer defaulted during the housing meltdown. He also took a bold stance last year by turning bullish on the sector, even as most of his peers were forecasting a further decline. Weakening demand has prolonged the time it takes to sell homes, according to Lam. In March, inventory turnover in tier-one cities had fallen to an average of 14 months, the same level as 2015 at the onset of an upcycle, he said. But that rose to 20.7 months at the end of June, meaning it will take longer to absorb housing stock even in the largest cities, which are widely expected to rebound first. Global banks are divided on the outlook for China real estate, which has been a drag on the economy for more than four years. Morgan Stanley forecasts property sales to remain weak in the third quarter. HSBC Holdings analysts are seeing a 'highly divergent' recovery, which benefits quality state developers with strong pricing power in top-tier cities and robust project pipelines there. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Tuesday, 12 pm Property Insights Get an exclusive analysis of real estate and property news in Singapore and beyond. Sign Up Sign Up Renewed slump Lam mainly based his March prediction on an easing of residential oversupply after many cash-strapped developers stopped buying land. Last year, housing starts by builders tumbled 63 per cent from the onset of the downturn in 2021, more than the 48 per cent drop in home sales by area. The basis of his call remains unchanged. China's total housing inventory has continued to fall since the end of March, according to Lam. It's just taking longer to shrink it down. New-home sales by the 100 largest developers have fallen more than 20 per cent for two consecutive months, China Real Estate Information Corporation data show. The worsening decline signals the effects of a stimulus campaign since last September are wearing off. Prices of new homes fell 0.27 per cent in June from May, the most in eight months. Lam sees one bright area for the market: real estate investment trusts. He is recommending stock investors look for the potential upside when developers spin off their shopping malls to Chinese Reits, which have seen demand soar this year in the hunt for yield. China launched its Reit market in 2021 as a way to channel capital into large infrastructure projects in exchange for a relatively consistent flow of dividend income. It expanded the programme to include shopping malls in 2023. Investors have been snapping up these funds this year, seeking higher returns as sovereign bond yields hover near record lows. Among Asia's major markets, China Reits delivered the second-highest returns in the first half of 2025, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Kristy Hung and Monica Si wrote in a note in July. Valuations for the sector have also remained resilient compared with a drop of as much as 84 per cent for developers' bonds and stocks during the same period, the BI researchers said. Stock catalyst A Reit listing of a developer's malls will likely provide a stock catalyst for the builder itself, Lam said. Higher valuation of malls listed on a Reit usually implies that other malls owned by the developer have been undervalued, he said. Major Chinese developer stocks listed in Hong Kong are trading at just 0.25 times the book value of their assets on average, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. For about 70 Reits listed in mainland China, the average ratio is 1.4. 'China's real estate financing may undergo a major structural change in the next three to five years,' Lam said. 'Expansion of the Reit sector is set to make up for shrinking market value of homebuilder stocks.' BLOOMBERG

Europe: Shares end flat as healthcare stocks weigh after Trump's tariff threat
Europe: Shares end flat as healthcare stocks weigh after Trump's tariff threat

Business Times

time12 hours ago

  • Business Times

Europe: Shares end flat as healthcare stocks weigh after Trump's tariff threat

EUROPEAN shares closed flat on Wednesday, surrendering early session gains, as healthcare stocks felt the pinch from US President Donald Trump's latest threat to impose higher tariffs on pharmaceutical imports. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed 0.06 per cent lower at 541.07, breaking its two-day winning streak despite starting the session on a positive note. Healthcare stocks bore the brunt of the selling pressure. The sector index plunged 2.8 per cent to its lowest level in more than three months after Trump unveiled a graduated tariff plan targeting pharmaceutical imports that could see levies on the sector jump up to 250 per cent within 18 months. 'This is where it's important to be specific about tariffs because certain stocks and sectors will be impacted differently across regions,' said Steve Sosnick, chief market analyst at Interactive Brokers. 'In Europe and Asia, investors are considering tariff impacts more carefully since exporters bear much of the brunt directly.' The sector was also singed as Novo Nordisk warned it expects continued competition from copycat versions of its Wegovy obesity drug this year, a message that sent shares of the Danish drug maker down 5.4 per cent. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Novo cut its full-year sales and profit forecasts last week, wiping US$95 billion off its market value since then. Meanwhile, Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss potential trade solutions after Trump announced a 39 per cent tariff on Swiss goods. The talks focused on increasing Swiss purchases of US energy and defence products to avert the steep tariff, which threatens significant damage to Switzerland's export-driven economy. Switzerland's benchmark SMI index fell 0.9 per cent, weighed down by drugmakers Novartis and Roche which lost 3.3 per cent and 2.6 per cent, respectively. Bayer shares tumbled 9.9 per cent on investor concerns that the German pharmaceutical firm's earnings were inflated by soccer player transfer fees rather than supported by its core healthcare and agriculture businesses. On the data front, Euro zone retail sales grew quicker than thought in June, reinforcing views that the 27-nation bloc remains resilient to trade uncertainty. Among others, Beiersdorf fell 8.4 per cent and was among top decliners after the German consumer goods maker cut its annual organic sales growth outlook. On the flip side, Siemens Energy rose 1 per cent after the company said it expects to hit the upper end of its 2025 growth outlook estimates. Hiscox was the top gainer on the index, gaining 9.4 per cent after reporting a rise in first-half insurance premiums supported by its retail business growth. REUTERS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store